Five Shadows

Tomorrow I meet up with one of my quilting groups. I’m behind on the Happy Little Things BOM, so today decided to prep the 4th block, November’s block. It’s ready to take along for some hand stitching time.

Center floral traced, embroidery floss and fabrics selected.

Dropcloth Sampler progress: I’ve learned Coral Knots stitched in yellow, Algerian Eyes in pale yellow, Herringbone in light green,  Couching in aqua, Filled Running in blues.

Next up will be Satin stitch in green. I already knew Blanket, Lazy Daisy, French Knots, Running, Chain, and Backstitch. I’ve been watching Youtube videos to learn the stitches.

My main goal for this week was machine quilting Curve it Up. With my prep for company and then our actual visit time, I didn’t get much quilting accomplished. Here are the few blocks I did quilt -

4-Patch, just the 2 right side 4-Patches are quilted

Dresden Plate

Fancy Fans

Star Block. There is a lot of white background fabric in this quilt. My plan is to quilt the blocks in Superior Threads King Tut 40 weight variegated yellow #985 and then go back to quilt the background in white #971.

Thursday I’m hosting my other quilting group, and plan on working on Bat Moon Rising.

What are your current quilting plans?

Last To-Do List:

1. Quilting Curve it Up, my One Monthly Goal for November. I spray basted it yesterday. Get to the quilting. ✔️ Got a few blocks quilted.
2. We have guests coming this weekend. I’ve got to do some house cleaning and meal prep. ✔️ We had a wonderful visit!
3. Work on piecing Bat Moon Rising if time allows. ✗ Nope, didn’t happen.

To Do List:

1. Continue quilting Curve it Up
2. More fabric cutting, then start piecing Bat Moon Rising
3. Hand embroidery in the evenings

Linking to To-Do-Tuesday, hosted by Roseanne of Home Sewn by Us.

Last week I quilted my friend’s Crazy 9-Patch quilt. Here is a close up of some of the quilting.

I met up with her Friday, and she liked the quilting on the 9-Patch and the Cherry quilt which I worked on the previous week.

I got the idea for the cherries from Lori Kennedy. Lori has a lovely blog where she demonstrates her many FMQ motifs.

I had a big “Oops!” while quilting on the cherry quilt! I thought the stitching took on a different feel. So I stopped and took a look at the back.

Yep. The back and batting got turned under and caught in the stitching. At least it was not too many stitches to rip out and fix! Has this ever happened to you?

Hand embroidery: Evenings after supper is when I try to fit in some hand stitching. But not so much this past week. With the weather turning cooler and evenings growing longer, I should be finding more stitching time this Fall & Winter.

The little I did do this week was on an old sampler.

This is a Dropcloth sampler I bought through Etsy a few years back.

Since I’m still so new to hand embroidery and don’t know many of these stitches, I’ve been watching youtube to learn them. I think I’m coming along ok with this new skill.

New quilt: This is a photo from Sew Kind of Wonderful’s book Mini Wonderful Curves.

The quilt is titled Bat Moon Rising, and I think it will be perfect for a friend expecting her first baby.

Bat and moon pieces are all cut. I’m using an ombre (not shown) for the background, so that might require some thoughtful cutting.

How was your week? What do you have planned for this coming week?

Last To-Do List:

1. Quilting friend’s quilt.  ✔️ Basted, quilted, delivered!
2. Evening hand embroidery.  ✔️Just some stitches completed on an older sampler.

To-Do List:

1. Quilting Curve it Up, my One Monthly Goal for November. I spray basted it yesterday. Get to the quilting.
2. We have guests coming this weekend. I’ve got to do some house cleaning and meal prep.
3. Work on piecing Bat Moon Rising if time allows.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Home Sewn by Us.

I’m pulling out another UFO to finally baste and work towards quilting as my goal for November.

This was the start – pulling fabric back in 2014.

I taught this as a class at a LQS, Curve it Up by Sew Kind of Wonderful using their Quick Curve Ruler.

After completing the class, it just hung in my “to be quilted” closet until my sister-in-law saw it and said she’d love it for her lake cottage. We shopped and bought fabric for one more border to enlarge it, and bought the back and binding fabric.

She liked the yellow for the border saying it will go in a guest bedroom that is painted yellow.

Now to get it basted and start on the quilting.

Linking to One Monthly Goal hosted by Patty of Elm Street Quilts.

This past week I spent time spray basting several quilts.

One is a the Hoffman Dream Big Panel which I bought on a shop hop 2 years ago. I actually bought 2 and then later saw how a gal cut one in fourths diagonally and sewed the pieces on to another Dream Big Panel. Since I had the two panels, I decided to go ahead and do that. I framed the top in with a pink border so I would not have bias edges. Here she is all basted.

This Dream Big Panel variation measures 65″ square with the border, which really is pink and looks nice with the center flower, but afternoon light is affecting it.

I also spray basted this cute little quilt sewn together by a friend.

The baking and cherry themed quilt measures 44″ x 50.”

I got it quilted too!

Of course I had to include some quilted cherries.

The last quilt I spray basted is a crazy nine patch, also stitched together by my friend.

Again, bad afternoon lighting. Sorry. I hope to be quilting this one up this week.

My son has borrowed our camera, so I’m using my iPad.

Last To-Do List:

1. Basting several quilts for a friend. Not sure how many she gave to me to quilt for her. I’ll have to dig into the box. My plan is to do all the spray basting this week, and maybe start quilting one. ✔️ There were 2 quilts in that box, both basted, and one quilted!
2. Prep next embroidery project. ✔️ I traced out several projects, and will work on them this Fall & Winter.

To-Do List:

1. Quilting friend’s quilt.
2. Evening hand embroidery.

Linking to To-Do-Tuesday hosted by Home Sewn by Us.

This is a seven year old UFO finally completed and gifted!

Angela Walters says something along the line of ‘finished is better than perfect’. This quilt is far from perfect, now that it is finished, I have to agree with Angela.

It’s looking pretty good in the above photo. Hopeful the quilt police will not come by and take a closer look! I know where all the mistakes are. Gah!

The pattern is Remembering Victoria from the book Traditions from Elm Creek Quilt. My son and daughter-in-love selected the pattern and fabrics before their wedding. I’m embarrased that it took me so long to finish this quilt, but am more than happy that is it finally completed! I finished up the machine quilting on Friday, October 18th and got the binding on Saturday, October 19th in time to gift it on Sunday, October 20th for their 7th wedding anniversary.

The quilt measures 90″ x 100″

Northcott and Moda fabrics, Superior Master Piece Thread for quilting Color #131.

Completing this quilt was my One Monthly Goal for October. Done! I dragged it out of the corner, and made myself finish it! PHEW! Completed it good!

Linking to One Monthly Goal hosted by Patty of Elm Street Quilts.

Finally finished, a 7 year old UFO!

TaDa! So Happy! I gifted this quilt to my son and daughter-in-love Sunday, October 20th, on their 7th wedding anniversary!

And I completed the 3rd block of the Happy Little Things BOM too!

Embroidered 4″ center, pieced 12″ finished block. I’m using Carolyn Friedlander fabrics.

Last To-Do List:

1. Quilt outer border of son’s quilt.  ✔️ Quilted, bound, gifted!
2. Happy Little Things, block 3  ✔️

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Home Sewn by Us.

Or,

Progress on My Son’s Quilt

Not the best photo so show the quilting, but I completed the curve quilting in the brown print squares, Orange Peel style.

And the first border. One more border to go, and then the binding.

I also got some handwork in this past week.

Block 3 of Happy Little Things BOM by Jacquelynne Steves

Thursday through Sunday I was on grandchild duty! We had a lovely time. I had hoped to have Lego photos to share, but my son & DIL being under the weather, have not shared photos of their display with me yet. Maybe I can share with you next week.

Last To-Do List:

1. Stay focused on son’s quilt! ✔️
2. Lego building with son and DIL – I’ll share about that next week. ✔️

To-Do List:

1. Quilt outer border of son’s quilt.
2. Happy Little Things, block 3

Linking to To-Do Tuesday

That UFO. I’ve finished the straight line quilting in the pieced blocks, and have moved on to the curved quilting.

This is a quilt for my son and his lovely wife, I shared about here. It’s all marked for the curved quilting.

I cut a three inch circle from card stock  and grabbed a Sewline white ceramic lead marking pencil. Then traced around the circle to mark the curves within the brown squares.  I can continuous line quilt through the brown squares from one side of the quilt to the other. After the quilting is completed in the brown squares, there are just 2 borders to quilt. Phew! The end is in sight!

Another project all marked and ready to go is October’s block 3 of Happy Little Things BOM. I’m embroidering the center of each block.

Next step, select the embroidery floss for this month.

Here’s September’s block 2 all completed.

Happy Little Things do make me happy!

Last To-Do List:

1. Finish September’s Happy Little Things block ✔️
2. progress on son’s wedding quilt ✔️

To-Do List:

1. Stay focused on son’s quilt!
2. Lego building with son and DIL – I’ll share about that next week.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday

What do you do when you started a quilt and just really do not like it?

What do you do when that quilt was selected by your future daughter-in-law, and she and your son also selected the fabrics?

I’ve struggled with this quilt for several years. I originally told the happy couple that I hoped to have it completed by their first anniversary. That did not happen.

So many points are just not matching, or worse yet – cut off. Ugh! I just don’t like it! Or maybe I should say, I really do not like my piecing in this quilt. I tried at least 3 different ways, rulers, to cut and get accurate seams and points to no avail. Sigh.

I considered scrapping it and starting all over again with a similar pattern. But, I showed it to my quilty friends and they encouraged me to just finish it and move on!

January of this year, I pulled it out of the corner of my sewing room and started quilting it. Then once again abandoned it.  Last month I started machine quilting it on my sit down Baby Lock Tiara III.

I still don’t like it, but I am plugging along.

October goal? Finish it! And finally give it to my son and DIL as October 20th will be their 7th, yes Seventh! Anniversary.

I need some positive vibes to get flowing, and get ‘er done!

Linking to One Monthly Goal hosted by Patty at Elm Street Quilts.

Down to the wire! I was beginning to think I’d miss my goal for September, but phew! made it!

I did quite a bit of seam ripping. But finally got the hexies all properly lined up and spaced out. I sewed all the hexies together like a picture frame to be placed over the panel.

Photo above shows the “picture frame” with inner seams all pressed under 1/4″ and ready to be pinned to the panel.

Close up of hexie frame pinned to panel

And TaDa! The picture frame stitched in place on the panel.

Finished feels good!

My goal for September was to finish the Hexie Panel quilt top. I should explain that this was a demo I saw at the Shipshewanna Quilt Festival but I did not buy the book _One Block Wonders_ by Maxine Rosenthal. My quilt is made with a variation of the old Stack-n-Whack method. I used 7 panels to make this quilt. 6 panels piled exactly on top of each other with the floral print all pinned to line up. Then cut into strips, I cut at 2 3/4″ and then used a 60 degree ruler to cut triangles. Each cut should give you 6 of the same print, and when sewn together give you the kaleidoscope hexie. Those hexies are sewn around the 7th uncut panel. Cool! I’m loving it!

If you like this quilt and want to see more truly amazing panel quilts, type in ‘one block wonder panel quilts’ at Pinterest. And be amazed!

I’m placing this quilt into the ‘to be quilted’ pile for a while. Next up, my son’s wedding quilt. More about that in October’s OMG post!

Linking to Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal. Hop on over to see what other quilters worked on during September.